Does the Hen sit on the eggs before shes done laying?

[Hoppysmom18]

My hen has laid 8 eggs so far. Shes been laying one each day, a few times every other day. My question is will the eggs go bad if she doesn't sit on them until she's done laying? Or how exactly does it work? She's a splash Maran and we are trying to let her Hatch them herself. And I do have a rooster so I'm hoping they are fertilized eggs.

 

[MarkJr]

Has she ever gone broody? How old is she? Typically, but not always, they don’t go broody less than a year old.

The hatching behavior has largely been bred out of modern chickens. I have a broody that sets 1 or 2 times per year. About the time she’s due, I hold eggs back and place on the counter. I track them and put any older than 8-10 days in the refrigerator for consumption, rotating in fresh ones for ‘the day’ she goes broody. Don’t wash them. Don’t keep dirty eggs.

When she goes broody and sets on eggs in the box overnight a couple nights, take all the eggs out from under her and replace with the ones you kept on the counter. Mark them with sharpie just in case another lays in the same nest while she is setting.

To tell if the egg is fertilized, crack the ones you are going to eat, and look at the white spot. If the white spot is solid, it’s not fertile. If the white spot creates a bullseye, it’s fertile. All of the eggs layed around the time that egg was layed should be fertile also. When your chicken goes broody, at day 10-12 or so, you candle the eggs and remove the ones that aren’t developing.

 

[Hoppysmom18]

Has she ever gone broody? How old is she? Typically, but not always, they don’t go broody less than a year old.

The hatching behavior has largely been bred out of modern chickens. I have a broody that sets 1 or 2 times per year. About the time she’s due, I hold eggs back and place on the counter. I track them and put any older than 8-10 days in the refrigerator for consumption, rotating in fresh ones for ‘the day’ she goes broody. Don’t wash them. Don’t keep dirty eggs.

When she goes broody and sets on eggs in the box overnight a couple nights, take all the eggs out from under her and replace with the ones you kept on the counter. Mark them with sharpie just in case another lays in the same nest while she is setting.

To tell if the egg is fertilized, crack the ones you are going to eat, and look at the white spot. If the white spot is solid, it’s not fertile. If the white spot creates a bullseye, it’s fertile. All of the eggs layed around the time that egg was layed should be fertile also. When your chicken goes broody, at day 10-12 or so, you candle the eggs and remove the ones that aren’t developing.

She is probably about 8 or 9 months old. This is her first time laying eggs. And my first time having chickens lay eggs. I had them when I was a kid but I was too little to remember. Shes laid 8 eggs and laid her first one on October 16th. I've googled it and it said she won't sit on them until she's done laying which could be anywhere from 7 to 20+ eggs so I'm super confused. I don't eat eggs and was hoping for her to hatch them all (I know some won't hatch and some chicks won't live. Also heard sometimes their first eggs won't hatch at all) and I've tried to candle the eggs but they are super dark with tiny light spots in them so I can't really see anything.

 

[MarkJr]

According to Meyer hatchery website they are a broody breed. I personally would bet that next spring/summer will be the earliest that she will possibly go broody. Until then, you can keep her last ten or so days worth of eggs handy so if she does, you are prepared. You will still need to break one open to see if it’s fertile.

 

[Hoppysmom18]

According to Meyer hatchery website they are a broody breed. I personally would bet that next spring/summer will be the earliest that she will possibly go broody. Until then, you can keep her last ten or so days worth of eggs handy so if she does, you are prepared. You will still need to break one open to see if it’s fertile.

How would I go about that? Like I said I'm SUPER confused. Should I toss these eggs out or just try to wait it out a little while. I've done some research on her breed and seen that she can lay anywhere from 150 to 200 eggs a year but that's really all I could find. And so breaking one is the best way to tell if they are fertilized or not? I'm thinking about getting an incubator soon. Wasn't what I was hoping for but also don't want the eggs to go to waste.

 

[MarkJr]

How would I go about that? Like I said I'm SUPER confused. Should I toss these eggs out or just try to wait it out a little while. I've done some research on her breed and seen that she can lay anywhere from 150 to 200 eggs a year but that's really all I could find. And so breaking one is the best way to tell if they are fertilized or not? I'm thinking about getting an incubator soon. Wasn't what I was hoping for but also don't want the eggs to go to waste.

If you hatch every egg they ever lay, you are going to be over run with chickens in short order.
The eggs in the nest are good for consumption still. Scramble and feed back to the flock, throw or give them away.

Collect eggs daily. This will lessen the chance of them being broken, and eaten. Once they figure out what is inside is delicious, they often times aren’t able to be broken of this habit.

The eggs you do collect can still be incubated successfully to about 10-14 days. Anything older than that, dispose of however you like. If your chicken goes broody, the eggs that are set at room temperature that are younger than 10-14 days old can be put under her, or in an incubator to hatch.

 

[MarkJr]

Bottom line is your chicken lays eggs but doesn’t necessarily have intentions of hatching everything she lays. They have to go all hormonal and get broody for the urge to incubate eggs comes on. Very rarely will this happen less than a year old.

 

[Hoppysmom18]

Bottom line is your chicken lays eggs but doesn’t necessarily have intentions of hatching everything she lays. They have to go all hormonal and get broody for the urge to incubate eggs comes on. Very rarely will this happen less than a year old.

Thank you SO much. I've been getting mixed answers trying to ask Google. I will definitely scramble them and feed them to my flock. Thats one of their absolute favorites.